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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Hotel Bel-Air is a boutique hotel located in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California. The hotel is owned by Hassanal Bolkiah, the current Sultan of Brunei. It is part of the Dorchester Collection group of international luxury hotels.
Since opening in 1946, the 91-room Hotel Bel-Air, located on Stone Canyon Road, has served many celebrities, heads of state and dignitaries. It was originally built by Alphonzo Bell, who developed the area and founded Bel-Air Estates. Originally built as office space and riding stables, it was purchased in 1946 and converted into a hotel by Texan entrepreneur Joseph Drown.Joseph Drown's partner in the Hotel in the early 1950s was Ted Chanock, a former Chicagoan. Chanock and Drown remained partners until Chanock's death in 1973. Chanock's wife, Frances, remained on as a permanent resident as a condition of the Rosewood purchase agreement with the Joseph Drown Estate in the 1980s.It was developed as an oasis, a hideaway within the city. Drown added Swan Lake which guests must cross by foot bridge to get to the hotel. The grounds are planted in ficus, fig, palms and continuously blooming flowers.